July 17, 2017

Happy Monday!

Summer means sunshine and the cool, coastal climate of the Monterey Bay, which means optimal weather for our berries here in California. Not only do our berries thrive during the summer months, but they also compliment all your snacking needs – from fruit salads, refreshing smoothies, to savory BBQs - you name it. We can’t think of a more versatile fruit than our always Giant, fresh berries and we know our shoppers agree! With summer break in full swing – our health-savvy, shopper moms are seeking nutritious, quick snacks more than ever to keep the kiddos full, happy, and healthy.

For more information, including crop and weather reports, please scroll below.

Crop Updates
Watsonville - Salinas:
 
We experienced a heat wave over the weekend with temperatures in the high 70s low 80s. Quality looks good among varieties, with most fruit looking its best toward the end of the week. As we head into August soon, we anticipate steady volume, with the chance of a slight increase. Our bushberries should increase significantly come August, with our fall crops well on the way. Salinas raspberries are only weeks away from harvest, and have a lot of fruit on the horizon as you can see below.
 




Santa Maria

Weather in Santa Maria warmed up this weekend into the 80s, with temperatures expected to be back town into a mild, temperate range in the 70s this week. As far as quality, San Andreas looks its best typically toward the second half of the week, with great size. Strawberries in general are looking good and firm. Blackberries are looking good, and big numbers are expected as we head into August – with a peak anticipated for the last week of that month as we sore into September.

Blueberries:

Our PNW and British Columbia regions have just began their harvest and crops are looking great. Because of the cold winter, harvest in the Canadian province started two weeks later than the previous year. Despite the slight setback, crop quality looks great since blueberries love a cold winter. Take a look at some of our recent shots of our sweet Duke varieties!

Weather Conditions

For up-to-date weather conditions in all of our growing regions, click on the region below. Wunderground.com is our go-to weather resource for fast and reliable weather updates. 

Santa Maria

Watsonville

Salinas

Georgia

News

It's that time of year again! This time next week 50 rider's will be off on their 3-day journey as they ride to support Salad Bars to Schools in our Annual Tour de Fresh event. This year, riders will start in Pismo, CA., cycle through Cambria, and end in Monterey as they cover 275 miles of terrain. This annual industry cycling event has met a major milestone in raising nearly half-a-million dollars since its inception in 2014, placing 192 salad bars in schools across the country and providing tens of thousands of students the opportunity to choose fresh produce every day. We are well on our way to meet this year's goal of placing 50 salad bars, and look forward to another successful year on the Tour! It's not too late, click here to donate now!

Reaching Consumers

California Giant listens to its shoppers and understands the importance of quick, easy and healthy snacking options this summer. Eating a nutritious diet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor, that’s why we have an e-book filled with delicious recipes all 500 calories or less! Be on the lookout for our Fresh Start campaign in a few short weeks where you can learn more about healthy snacking and bento-boxes for every berry!

Pick of the Week

Look at these Giant berries at Albertson's in Renton, Washington! Head over to get your hands on these for the week ahead.

  

Send us your own "pick of the week" and we will feature it here!

Stay tuned for updates every two weeks for the remainder of the year.
 
 

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